Effects of a Job Rotation Intervention on Muscle Activity Variability and Health: A Case Study in a Swedish Commercial Laundromat

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSThis pre-post intervention case study found that team-based job rotation (JR) has the potential to increase job-level, within-worker variance bilaterally in trapezius and forearm muscle activity compared with baseline by a mean of 35%, and that an actual increase of 27% was achieved. Most workers experienced an increase in within-worker variance at all four muscle sites. At follow-up, over 45% of JR workers reported lower work demands, less fatigue after work, and feeling more rested and recovered when starting a workday compared to baseline; in contrast, some workers (0-4, depending on body part) reported higher musculoskeletal symptoms at follow-up. These results provide evidence from an occupational setting that a re-distribution of existing tasks can increase the average within-worker exposure variation and suggest that JR can lead to lower demands, lower fatigue, and better recovery; further consideration of the longer-term JR effects on musculoskeletal health is required.